


Until The Ribbon Breaks

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Y-G-October 2018 [6]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Relationships, Creepy, Fear, Late at Night, M/M, Manipulation, Panic, Paranoia, Spooky, Stalking, protective Joey Wheeler, protective Yuugi Mutou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 08:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16215644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: SNAPAtem spun around, his heart racing, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy, practically shaking as he stared at the empty sidewalk behind himNo... no....No one was there... he was imagining-CRUNCHHe spun again, heart racing a mile a minute, but nothing.... no one.......Day 6 of Y-G-October 2018





	Until The Ribbon Breaks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Finaiarel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finaiarel/gifts).



> Taking a bit of a creepier edge here for day six "Followed" from this challenge http://horrificmemes.tumblr.com/post/177941943723/its-that-tiiiime-just-like-last-fall-im-giving
> 
> I was inspired by a cover of "One Way Or Another" by a band called Until The Ribbon Breaks, so I used that as the title, as none of the lyrics really fit for me

Why was it so cold when it was only mid-October?

Shouldn't a light jacket be enough this time of year?

Apparently not....

He couldn't stop the shiver from rolling through his body, rubbing his arms and biting down on his lip, heart racing faster as he walked

Maybe it wasn't the cold that was making him shiver though

It was possibly the dreadfully paranoia inducing sensation that he was being followed that made him shiver like this

He had been feeling it for the last week or so, ever since he happened to win his first broadcasted tournament

Had he picked up a stalker since then? An obsessed fan? Someone who saw him on TV and decided that he would be easy prey...?

He wasn't sure, but it was terrifying him, and with no car, he was stuck with having to walk to and from his destinations, if they were short enough

He wasn't going to pay for a ridesharing service for a journey he could take in a five or ten minute walk, it wasn't worth the money for himself _or_ the driver

And public transportation wasn't meant for something like this either

It had never been a problem until recently

Atem had never seen much point in driving when he had nearly all of his local haunts within walking distance, he didn't mind the exercise, and he only rarely needed to transport something that he couldn't carry...

He was beginning to see the need for a car now

_SNAP_

Atem spun around, his heart racing, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy, practically shaking as he stared at the empty sidewalk behind him

No... no....

No one was there... he was imagining-

_CRUNCH_

He spun again, heart racing a mile a minute, but nothing.... no one.......

His breaths were heavy, anxious, panicked....

He knew that he shouldn't run, that was akin to inviting a predator to chase him, but...

But he couldn't control the fear anymore

He broke into a run, racing down the sidewalk at top speed, dropping heavy breaths, one right after the other, as he finally slammed into the driveway he needed to be in, sprinting up the steps to the front door and laying his thumb down on the doorbell as if his life depended on it

And it very well might have

Along with that, he rammed his fists against it a few times, before finally, the door opened, revealing exactly the confused, disapproving face he was looking for

"Atem-?"

"Seto, please let me in, I'll explain everything in a moment just.. just... let me in, _please!_ "

Thankfully.... thankfully.... the billionaire stepped aside to let him in, and Atem wasted no time in hurrying behind the safety of the door

 

~+~

 

"So you were on your way home but felt that you were being stalked... and on impulse, you decided to come here,"

"Yes... I'm sorry if I've intruded on your evening," Atem sighed quietly, staring down into his tea, not actually bothering to drink any of it

"You haven't intruded upon anything, I'm just curious as to why you chose me, is it because you were nearby or ... does it have something to do with me specifically?" Seto asked, leaning back casually in his chair and sipping his tea

"It's... honestly a bit of both, you were close-by in comparison to my own home or my partner's home, yes, but ... I also wished to see you, Seto,"

"Partner?" Seto asked curiously, eyebrows pinching, nose wrinkling, he hadn't known Atem had a _partner_...

"Ah, yes.... I should probably stop calling him that before people get the wrong idea but... Yugi and I were partners on an expedition when we were in school, I started calling him 'aibou' and the name just stuck... he's happily in a relationship with a mutual freind however,"

"And do you wish he weren't?"

"Hm? No, why would I? He's happy, he deserves to be happy, they both do,"

A pause, he decided to take a drink of tea, prevent this from getting any more awkward than it already seemed to be getting

"And you? Are you in a happy relationship?"

"I'm not in a relationship I'm afraid, though I would like to be, seeing what Yugi has with Joey...."

Another pause, stirring his tea now

"I've always been a romantic, but this makes me realize just how badly I want it..... but I apologize, I shouldn't be getting into such personal territory with you, you barely know me,"

Seto merely gave a hum, taking another slow sip of his tea

"So, you mentioned that you had a specific reason for wanting to see me? What was it?"

Oh that's right, he had mentioned that....

"I ... just wondered if dueling tournaments have a history of the winners encountering any problems like this before, if there's a history of... I don't know, stalkers? Or ... unfortunate happenings to other winners or... even just other contestants? Anything?"

"Nothing," Seto replied simply, watching as Atem took another long sip of his tea

"O-Oh.... then... I apologize for the trouble..."

"Don't apologize, it was no trouble," the taller man replied, brushing off the apology quickly and watching as his smaller companion slowly put his empty teacup down on the coffee table, swallowing tightly as he rubbed his upper arm

Atem looked exhausted, and scared, and cold...

"In fact, why don't you stay here over night? I can drive you home in the morning, you'll feel much better," he offered

Atem blinked, biting his lip, now that he thought about it, he was feeling pretty exhausted, the adrenaline from earlier must have been masking it all this time....

"That.... that would be lovely.... thank you,"

Seto nodded, standing up and grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch, draping it around Atem's shoulders and beginning to say... something.... but the champion duelist couldn't hear a word of it, he was asleep the moment the blanket was wrapped around him

 

~+~

 

He felt like an idiot for doing this again

He had been carefull the last few days about not walking alone at night, getting rides from freinds mostly- from Seto, mostly- but he had just needed to run out for a few things at the convenience store, not even ten minutes away from home, and yet...

He could feel the sickness in his gut, the chillbumps on his skin

That horrible, horrible feeling was back, the sensation of being followed

He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything, but he knew it was there, he knew _someone_ was there

His breathing was heavy, his heart racing, the grip around the grocery bags tight as he picked up the pace, biting into his lip

_SNAP_

No.... no no no.....

_CRUNCH_

No no no no no no....

_Click... click... click click click...._

At the sound of heels on pavement, he finally turned around, looking over his shoulder and yet seeing nothing once again

He was panicking now, breaking into a run once more, if he could just get to Seto's ... if he could just get there... if he could just-!

_"Atem?"_

He came to a sudden stop, tears in his eyes as he slowly turned to look beside him, releif pouring through him at once

" _Yugi....._! Joey!"

"Hey buddy, ya' look like ya' just saw a ghost," the blonde frowned, picking up his pace a little as he and his smaller companion walked towards their freind

"I- .. I'm sorry I just...."

"Feeling followed again?" Yugi asked softly, sympathy clear on his face

He nodded slowly, anxiety clear on his face, as well as a slight look of shame, as he stared down at the sidewalk

"Why don't we walk you home, hm?" Yugi offered softly, taking one of Atem's bags and wrapping both arms around one of his freind's

"Thank you.... I apologize, I-"

" _Hey_ , quit with that apologizin' crap, this ain't your fault, an' frankly, I'm offended ya' didn't call the Yugi An' Joey Protection Squad already," Joey huffed, thumping Atem on the back of the head and successfully earning an anxious smile from him as the blonde wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing gently as they began to walk, diving into the conversation of why the couple was out so late

Something to do with looking for a lost kitten

There was apparently some kind of predator out now and they wanted to get him home safely before the worst happened

Atem relaxed as they walked, not even noticing the murderous glare that Joey shot over his shoulder

_"Are you sure this is the one you want Big Brother?"_

Blinking, eyes turning away from Atem and the two pests by his side for a moment, Seto glanced down at his brother, giving him a small nod

"Yes... it _has_ to be him, the only one to ever defeat me in a game, a being who's already touched darkness but come out of it unharmed, a creature who's unafraid of what lurks in the shadows.... it _has_ to be him, and once I clean the stench of dog off of him, I'll be able to make him the beauty that he's meant to become,"

"Atleast now you know why he always smells like that pack of werewolves.... those two are practically glued to his side," Mokuba sighed quietly

"They won't be for long, I've been watching, my plan is falling into place, I just need another week or so, then I can make him mine- _eternally_ ,"

Seto licked across his top row of teeth, fangs glistening in the moonlight as the vampire watched his prey and the two wolfen guards step around the corner, finally out of veiw

"Let's go Mokuba, we have much to do,"

His heels clicked on the sidewalk, his lips curved in a smirk, eyes forward, as he walked back towards his house

_You will be mine, Atem_


End file.
